


Short skirts, Long jackets and a Lot of Situations

by SpicyPepper_SweetSugar



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Fake Outs, Family, Future Fic, Gen, General pregnancy cuteness, Humor, Innocent/NotSoInnocent!Felicity, Romance, Team Arrow, Unplanned Pregnancy, alternative universe, bratva!Oliver, make outs and other stuff, my prompt collection, olicity - Freeform, prompted fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-02-16 12:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2269872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar/pseuds/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of prompted one-shots and drabbles that I originally posted on tumblr. From now on, I'll be posting them here too. Feel free to comment and send in more prompts on my tumblr! =)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Five Times Oliver Failed to Convince Felicity That He Loves Her and The one Time That Diggle Did It For Him

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: “I have this little head cannon where Oliver tries to convince Felicity that he loves her next season, but she doesn't believe him. And he tries several times. Then finally Digg has to take her to Big Belly or something and convince her for him.” - askillianwishes (on tumblr)

“ **The Five Times Oliver Failed to Convince Felicity That He Loves Her and The one Time That Diggle Did It For Him”**

**Word count: 3,071**

**I.**

The day Oliver decided that he was tired of pretending that he didn't love Felicity like more than a friend, had been a pretty normal one. Well, normal as in _their_ sense of normal, that is.

It had been all about  early morning meetings, trying to get Queen Consolidated back and late night Arrow business.  Oliver ha known all along that he loved Felicity, because his admission during the final battle against Slade, had n't been planned at all. The three little words had slipped out of his mouth and he had stopped for a moment himself, thinking about the truth they held while waiting for Felicity's reaction.

L ater, he had tried to convince himself that love didn't have to be romantic love. His love for Felicity could be very platonic...or as platonic as they tried to convince themselves that it was.

Nevertheless, when he had walked back into the new lair that night, and he'd seen her stand from her computers, waiting for him despite him telling her that it was a slow night and that she could go home earlier.

“I couldn't leave knowing you were still out there,” she had told him, wringing her hands nervously. “I mean, I knew that you would be fine, but I sort of like seeing you so I know for sure.”

He stood by the stairs, frozen for a moment before walking up to her calmly. She looked at him curiously and he opened his arms for her. She stepped into them without hesitation, hugging him back just as tightly as he was holding onto her.

And that was when it all came crashing down for him.

His heart beat loudly in his chest and his fingers felt all warm and tingly, and not just because they were still covered with his leather gloves.  He rested his chin on the top of her head and inhaled through his nose, her familiar scent filling his nostrils.

He had been stupidly trying to pretend that he wasn't in love with the woman he was embracing and in that moment, he decided that he needed to tell her that he loved her, as more than a friend.

“I love you,” he mumbled into her hair.

Briefly, he felt her tense in his arms.  This was the first time he had said the words after that night in the mansion.

I t felt as if hours had ticked by when she finally relaxed again against him. “I love you too, Oliver,” she told him and he pulled away a little so he would be able to look into her eyes. “Just like I love Diggle. The two of you are my best friends in the entire world.”

Wait...  _What?_

Oliver backtracked in his mind, processing her words for a moment.

Oh. _Oh!_

She thought he meant that he loved her as a _friend!_

“Well, since you're okay and I saw you myself, I need to go home and get some rest,” she told him casually, stepping out of his embrace while walking back to her computers to shut them off. “I've got a job interview at _Kord Industries_ tomorrow morning and I'd hate for my potential new boss to mistake me for a zombie,” she laughed.

Oliver was still frozen in place, looking a little dumbfounded, to be honest. When Felicity finally told him good night and headed out, he mumbled his reply to her before slowly changing out of his Arrow suit. It would clearly take a lot more effort to convince Felicity that the love he was talking about was far more than platonic.

 

**II.**

The second time he tried to tell her was a complete failure.

Actually, he figured it would be really romantic, but of course, fate wouldn't have that.

The two of them were sitting close to each other on her couch, watching a movie together after yet another long day. An almost completely empty tub of ice-cream was on her table, two spoons sticking out of it and Felicity had draped a blanket over them before cuddling into Oliver's side. He had taken a hold of her frozen hands, warming them with his own and his warmth breath, looking up at her every once in a while from under his lashes.

Felicity had obliviously kept looking at the TV, thanking him later for warming her up before then going on a full on babble about 'sharing body heat' and how 'two friends as close as them could do so in the most _platonic_ ways ever, without it being weird'.

After that, they had fallen into a comfortable silence, Oliver's arm wrapped around her shoulder, bringing her closer to him as she rested her head on his shoulder. He liked that, very much.

“Felicity,” he whispered after a while.

“Hm?” she hummed in reply.

“I want to say something,” he declared. He waited for her go-ahead, but never got it. “Felicity?” he turned to look down at her, only to find her fast asleep on his shoulder, a small smile playing on her lips.

Of course she was a sleep; just his luck.

“I love you,” he murmured anyway before pressing a light kiss to her forehead. The action made her snuggle in closer to him and he couldn't help but smile. He could tell her that he loved her another day. She was tired and would most likely be very grumpy with him if he woke her up.

His own head fell to rest on top of hers, before sleep finally overtook him as well.

 

**III.**

Third time is a charm, Oliver figured, but was once again proven wrong.

To be completely honest, the third time he told her that he loved her hadn't been in a calm situation at all.

She had been late to get to the lair and he had already been antsy because he worried that something might have happened to her. So when Roy and Diggle asked her how her “date with Mr. Kord” went, Oliver completely lost it.

“You were late because you were on a _date_?” he asked her incredulously.

“I'm sorry, Oliver,” Felicity replied. “I was having such a great time and I figured that five more minutes wouldn't hurt. Then of course, I got stuck in traffic and-”

“You were on a date with your _boss_?” Oliver interrupted, shooting a glare her way. “And that _date_ made you forget that we have a mission to protect this city and the people in it?”

Felicity frowned at him, taking a step back, setting a safe distance between them. “What are you even saying, Oliver?” she asked him. “Because it sounds to me like you're trying to tell me that I'm neglecting my duties and leaving the team behind completely. I was twenty minutes late, not boarding a plane to Italy to leave you guys behind!”

“You were late because you were on a _date_!” Oliver hissed back, not even noticing Diggle and Roy shifting uncomfortably behind Felicity.

“Why do you say it like _that_?” she demanded. “Like there's something wrong with the fact that I actually managed to get asked out by a nice guy?”

“You were late, Felicity,” Oliver repeated, as if that would explain everything.

“And I said I was sorry,” Felicity pointed out angrily. “How is this any different from the time I tried to get a hold of you while you were hooking up with McKenna while your other psycho ex-girlfriend came to my office and tied me up? At least _you_ weren't threatened with a crossbow!”

“It's different,” Oliver countered lamely.

“How? How is it any different? You were on a 'date' and got my call too late, and I was on a date and got here a little later than I said I would, but I _got here_ , which is the point. So tell me, Oliver, how is it different?” she ranted.

“It's different because I love you!” he blurted out, taking a big step forward, towering over her. He was still angry, but not at her. Instead, he was angry with himself for being jealous over the fact that she had gone out with someone other than him, even though he didn't have a claim on her.

“So? I care about you too, but you don't see me going off on you every time you're late because you had a late night,” she shrugged, standing her ground.

“No, Felicity, I love you,” Oliver repeated, but she only kept glaring at him.

“I heard you, and I love you too,” she said as-a-matter-of-factly, just as Oliver realized that there would be no getting through to her tonight either. “But that doesn't mean you get to be a protective asshat just because you were a little worried about me. I worry about you, Diggle and Roy all the time, but I don't go crazy on you when you return to the lair.”

So she _had_ picked up on the fact that he had been worried about her.

He glanced at Diggle and Roy who were standing behind her still. By the look in their eyes, he knew that _they_ at least had understood that he'd been sincere when he told Felicity that he loved her. Now it was out there, but Felicity, was as oblivious as she'd been before.

“Okay,” Oliver finally sighed. “I'm sorry. Can we just get back to work now?” he asked her.

She nodded curtly before walking off to her computers. Oliver looked up at Diggle who was looking at him as if he really wanted to make a comment, while Roy tried hard not to snicker at him. “Not. A. Word,” Oliver ground out before grabbing his suit to go and change.

 

**IV.**

When Oliver realized that Felicity would never believe him if he just kept telling her that he loved her, he decided to change his strategy. He would _show_ her that he loved her, because what was that old saying about actions speaking louder than words?

So he did. Try to show it, that is.

He opened the door for her when they arrived at the lair at the same time, walked her to her car every night when she'd wait for him to return. Every evening, he asked her about her day and if she ever complained about a long day at the office, he suggested they grab some dinner together.

He bought her flowers every once in a while too, mostly the day after one of those particularly difficult days and he let her talk for hours and hours about whatever she wanted to, just so that she wouldn't have to carry any weight in her chest.

It all backfired one day when he brought her a bouquet of pink roses when she'd invited him home for a movie.

“Oh, Oliver!” she'd exclaimed happily, taking the roses from his hands before embracing him tightly. “Thank you so, so much! I honestly can't believe how lucky I am to have a friend like you.”

She kissed his cheek before hurrying off to find a vase to put the flowers in, while Oliver was left standing by her door. He was beginning to hate the word 'friend', he realized. Especially when it came out of Felicity's mouth.

 

**V.**

“You don't understand, Dig,” Oliver complained. “I've been trying to get through to her for _months_ now. Either she stubbornly believes that I really don't love her, or she's just too distracted to realize what I'm actually trying to tell her.”

Felicity was out on another date with Ted Kord and Oliver had finally broken down about the entire ordeal in front of Diggle.

“Have you tried to just sit down and tell her?” Diggle asked. “Because truth be told, you're being pretty obvious when you walk around with heart eyes. I can't believe she hasn't noticed it yet...”

“I've told her so many times, but she keeps thinking I love her as a _friend_ ,” Oliver bitterly said. “I tried telling her again last night at that charity event we were invited to.”

“Yeah, would you like to explain that? I never really understood why she got so mad at you,” Diggle said as he cleaned his gun.

“Some old business partners came up to me while Felicity and I were dancing and I wanted to introduce Felicity, but I sort of froze because I didn't even know how to introduce her,” Oliver explained. “I mean, she's not my E.A anymore since I'm not CEO of Queen Consolidated, and she's my partner, but at the same time, I feel like she's a hell of a lot more than _just_ my partner. So Felicity got annoyed because I accidentally slipped up and called her 'my Felicity', which made the business men laugh.”

“Oh,” Diggle chuckled. “Well, that must have been embarrassing for her. I understand why she got so mad at you.”

“And when she asked me what that was all about, I tried to explain myself and told her how she was way more than just my partner to me, because I love her, and _once again_ she mistook my love for her as something _platonic,_ ” Oliver groaned. “I just can't seem to get through to her, and meanwhile, _Ted Kord_ ,” he spat, “is taking her out to dinner every week.”

“Oliver, green might be your color, but jealousy really doesn't suit you,” Diggle smirked.

“God, Dig. You don't know how frustrating it is for me... I thought she felt the same way about me and that she would be happy to know that I'm ready for us, but I just can't-”

“Get through to her?” Diggle finished for him. Oliver hung his head and nodded. “God, Oliver,” Diggle sighed. “Do you want me to give it a try?” the older man asked.

“Could you?” Oliver asked, running his hand over his face. “I really don't know what else to say to convince her.”

“Well, you could always just kiss her senseless,” Roy suggested as he walked over to them. Oliver had been so caught up in his conversation with Diggle that he hadn't even heard him walk into the lair.

“You don't think I've already thought about that?” Oliver asked. “I just don't think _that_ is the way to approach her. What if she _doesn't_ feel the same about me?”

“Oh, believe me,” Roy scoffed. “She does. The two of you are just equal amounts of stubborn that you don't allow yourselves to believe the truth, even though it's been in front of you the entire time.”

Oliver watched as Roy sat down and began sharpening some arrows, before turning to Diggle. “So you'll talk to her, right?”

Diggle sighed exasperatedly, “I'll talk to her, Oliver.”

 

**VI.**

“It's been _so_ long since we've had burgers together, Dig,” Felicity said, sitting down in one of the booths at Big Belly Burger. “Just the two of us, that is,” she clarified quickly. “Not that I mind Roy and Oliver, but you know, sometimes I just miss having one-on-one conversations with you.”

Diggle smiled at her as he sat down across from her. “Yeah, speaking of one-on-one conversations,” he began slowly. “I have something that I'd like to talk to you about.”

“Oh yeah?” Felicity asked, taking a sip from her smoothie. “Sounds serious. Everything okay?”

“Everything's fine,” Diggle shrugged. “I just wanted to ask you when you were going to realize that Oliver is in love with you.”

Felicity choked on her drink and quickly grabbed for a napkin, covering her mouth with it as she coughed wildly. Diggle remained impassive, waiting for her to get herself together.

“ _What_?” she laughed nervously. “Oliver isn't _in love with me_. What gave you that idea?”

Diggle shrugged. “I don't know whether it was the fact that he's been telling you for months now, or the fact that he looks like a lovesick puppy that's been kicked around every time you bring up Ted Kord or dating in general.”

“Dig, you're being ridiculous,” Felicity said. “Ted and I have decided that we're better of as friends because of the whole 'he's my boss'-thing. And Oliver hasn't said anything about being in love with me.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Diggle drawled. “So when he snapped at you in the lair after your first date with Kord, when he told you he loved you, that wasn't him telling you that he _really_ loves you?” he asked.

“He meant it like a friendly love,” Felicity insisted, pushing her glasses back up her nose, from where they had ridden down.

“And I guess buying you flowers is something he's always done?” Diggle continued.

Felicity frowned at him. “Maybe he just learned that I really like flowers?” she suggested. “Friends by friends flowers, Dig. It's no big deal.”

“Yeah, and Oliver has _always_ been _such_ a gentleman when he pulls out your chair for you, or holds your coat for you when you're getting ready to go home,” Diggle rolled his eyes. “Or when he opens doors for you and orders your favorite food every time you're feeling down... And lets not forget the fact that he has been _telling_ you that he loves you. I mean, that's just something Oliver does, isn't it?” he sarcastically remarked.

Felicity seemed to think about what Diggle was telling her and Diggle could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Inwardly, he groaned, wondering how such a bright woman could be so daft when it came to realizing that the man she loved had finally realized that he loved her back.

All of the sudden, Felicity's eyes widened and Diggle sighed in relief when he realized he had gotten through to her.

“Oh my God,” Felicity said. “Oh. My _God_. He loves me!” she blurted out, staring at Diggle with eyes wide as saucers. “Oliver is in love with me!”

“ _Yes_ ,” Diggle confirmed.

“Oh my God!”

“You said that already, Felicity,” Diggle chuckled. “Twice.”

“He's in love with me,” she repeated, clearly surprised by the revelation. She stood abruptly from the table. “Dig, I'll pay you back some day, but right now, I really need to go find Oliver,” she explained herself.

“It's okay, I've got it covered,” Diggle replied, holding his hand up. “Just remind Oliver that he owes me favor.”

Felicity nodded and hurried out of the restaurant as Diggle leaned back in his seat, satisfied with his accomplishment to get through to the blonde.

 


	2. This Time We'll Do It Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ”oliver and felicity are on a REAL date ….one far in the future:) one with fluff because all these spoilers are killing me:) because right now i associate date with felicity hurt on a table….i’d like a new association. please. if you can:) thanks for just listening:)” - dreamyuniversestuff (on tumblr)

” **This Time We'll Do It Right”**

**Word count: 1,793**

 

Oliver stared at himself in the mirror, straightening his tie once again.

It still looked crooked and he groaned, pulling it off entirely, trying to tie it again. Things needed to be perfect tonight; _he_ needed it to be perfect, because that was the least she deserved.

“How are you doing in there?” Diggle asked from the other side of the bathroom door.

“Fine,” Oliver basically growled, throwing the tie on the floor as he walked to the door and opened it, facing his partner.

Diggle gave him a once over and smiled, “You're really going all out tonight, aren't you?”

“It's Felicity, Dig,” Oliver replied, as if that would say it all.

“Yeah,” Diggle nodded thoughtfully, “and if we know her correctly, she won't care if you wear a tie or not.”

Oliver looked back at the tie that laid abandoned on the floor and sighed, walking back to pick it up. “It's just that I finally built up the courage to ask her out again and I need this date to be perfect,” he told his friend. “Especially when I think about the last time we went on a date.”

“The last time you went on a date, Oliver, a bomb exploded,” Diggle pointed out. “I think Felicity herself told me that the chance for that happening again are statistically small. Why are you so worried?”

“I just feel like she deserves the best and I want to try to be that for her,” Oliver replied. “Palmer was perfect and if _they_ didn't work out, is it really worth risking our friendship considering how damaged _I_ am?”

Diggle observed him quietly for a moment before taking the tie from his hands, putting it on a chair. “Oliver,” he said calmly, “I am just going to say this once, so you need to pay attention: Ray Palmer may have been perfect on paper, but he wasn't perfect for Felicity. Felicity isn't perfect herself, so why would she need someone who is? You're nervous, which is understandable, because you like the girl and you finally decided to try and give you two another chance. Take things as they come and don't worry about messing up.”

“But what if I do mess up?” Oliver asked. “What if she decides that I wasn't worth giving another chance?”

Diggle shook his head. “Trust me,” he said. “The girl is just as crazy about you as you are about her. You'll do great, even if you just sit there and stare at her all night, like you usually do around here.”

“I do _not_ stare at her,” Oliver protested, but a small smile made its way onto his face.

Diggle chuckled, “Take a breath and go pick up your girl.”

Oliver grinned at Diggle, feeling a little better after their talk. The moment that he sat in his car, however, his palms began sweating again.

-§-

Felicity was freaking out as she stared at her dresses inside of her closet.

The last time she and Oliver had gone out on a date, she had been wearing red and that literally blew up in her face and she ended up with some serious injuries that later caused her and Oliver to split before they even got together officially.

Sure, she tried to move on with Ray, but eventually, she realized that no matter how wonderful he was, he would never be the man she truly wanted.

She loved Oliver; she was sure of it.

He was one of her best friends, they were partners and they respected each other beyond comprehension. Others couldn't understand the special bond they had and if she was being honest, neither did she sometimes. So when he had walked up to her, a year and a half after their first failed date and half a year after her break up with Ray Palmer, and asked her out to dinner, she had been hesitant at first. What if he ran again? What if he once again decided that it wasn't worth the risk of losing her?

Her heart made the decision for her though, because she knew that the two of them deserved a second chance and that if things went well, they could be _it_.

He could be _it_ for her.

_Oliver._

She smiled to herself, but once again found herself frowning at her dresses. In the end, she took out a navy blue one, deciding that it was a safe choice for a second first date. Her hair and makeup was already done, so after pulling on her dress and some heels, she sat on her couch, nervously waiting for Oliver to come and pick her up.

She just hoped he wasn't having second thoughts.

-§-

He pulled out the chair for her at the restaurant and the deja vu of it hit them both like a ton of bricks. Felicity stared up at him as he stood frozen, his hand still gripping the chair tightly, looking down at her.

She bit her lip nervously and offered him a reassuring smile, which made him relax a bit. He smiled back at her before moving to sit down in front of her. They ordered their drinks, both consciously choosing something different than what they had ordered last time and then ordered their food.

“Are you nervous?” Felicity asked, interrupting him as he asked her about her day.

He stared at her briefly before nodding and chuckling lightly, “Yeah, I am.”

“Good,” she smiled. “I mean, it's a good thing that I'm not the only one that's nervous. I've been nervous since you asked me to dinner and well, last time wasn't exactly a good first date. It _was_ , but then everything went wrong and I guess it got ruined- I mean, I _know_ it got ruined-”

“Felicity,” he interrupted, an adoring smile on his face that made her go all warm inside.

“Sorry,” she managed to say. “Nervous.”

“I can see that,” he chuckled. “To be honest, my palms have been sweating all day and I haven't been able to stop listing everything that might go wrong.”

“Especially after last time,” Felicity repeated and he nodded. “But?” she pressed, being able to tell that he wasn't finished yet.

“ _But_ ,” Oliver confirmed, “I have a feeling that we'll do it better this time. We'll do it _right_.”

“I don't think there is a wrong with us, Oliver,” Felicity told him honestly, her voice so low that he had barely heard her. She smoothed out her dress and looked him in the eyes shyly. “I'm worried I might scare you off by saying this, but _this_ , our date, is the most _right_ that I've felt in a year and a half.”

He put his hand over hers and squeezed it, a smile tugging at his lips. “I feel the same,” he told her. “And you won't be scaring me away. It took me far to long to decide to go without a tie.”

Felicity let out a laugh, “It suits you. Makes you look more relaxed.”

“I think that might also have to do with the fact that you're here with me,” he confessed, making her blush. She looked down at her lap and then up at him from under her lashes, her eyes flickering to his hand that was still covering hers on top of the table before meeting his gaze again and smiling.

-§-

“So I threatened to call the cops on him and he scurried off,” Felicity finished as Oliver laughed.

“You threatened to call the cops even _after_ you destroyed his motorcycle with a baseball bat?”

“He was following me around on that thing! I just made sure that he wouldn't be able to do so anymore,” she giggled. “Okay, so I might have had a violent phase when I was younger, who hasn't?”

“Hey, I'm not judging,” he told her. “It's just surprising.”

“Yeah, totally unexpected that the IT-nerd became violent when her stalker didn't remove himself from her property,” Felicity rolled her eyes.

Oliver only chuckled again and grabbed her hand before stopping her. She took a bite from the ice-cream in her hand and looked at him curiously.

“What?” she wondered, her question asked with only a hint of laughter.

“Nothing,” he told her, still looking at her intently. “You're just so...” he trailed off and she raised an eyebrow at him.

“I'm just so...?” she drawled, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

“Unexpected,” he decided.

“Oh?”

He nodded and she frowned.

“What exactly does that mean?” she asked him.

“It means that I never expected you, Felicity,” he repeated. “I never expected to meet someone like you after the island. All I kept imagining was coming back and fighting the corrupt alone, but then Diggle and you came around and I just,” he took a breath, “ _can't_ imagine my life without either of you. And yes, that means that you were unexpected,” he clarified.

“But so was Diggle,” she playfully pointed out.

“In a different way,” he grinned. “My feelings for you are different than my feelings for Diggle.

“You have feelings for Diggle?” she joked. The look he gave her made her throw her head back and laugh and he just couldn't help himself.

He closed the distance between them and claimed her lips.

A small gasp escaped her and she stood still as her brain tried to make sense of what was actually happening before she managed to kiss him back.

She tasted like chocolate ice-cream and something else that he couldn't really put a finger on. All he knew was that he liked it, _a lot_ , and that he would very much like to taste again.

He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, smiling like a fool.

“Was that something you would do with Diggle too?” Felicity asked, breaking the silence and once again succeeding to make him laugh.

“No,” he told her. “That's something that I would like to keep doing with you though.”

“In that case,” Felicity said, pecking him lightly on the lips again. “I think we _definitively_ did better this time around.”

“We'll keep doing this better,” Oliver promised. “We'll do it _right_ and we won't just give up on each other the second things get hard. We're worth fighting for, I know that now.”

Felicity grinned up at him as she took another bite of the ice-cream that had almost melted completely. “I agree, but next time you decide to kiss me senseless, please do so _after_ I finish eating my ice-cream.”

Oliver's reply was to take the ice-cream cone from her hand, throwing it in the trashcan before turning back to her and cupping her face as he once again put his lips to hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are golden! ;)


	3. The Hacker and The Mobster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promt: bratva!Oliver and innocent civilian Felicity, Russian speaking Oliver. Thank you and you're an amazing writer! I love House Guests and Domesticity! - Anon (on tumblr)

“ **T** **he Hacker and The Mobster** ”

**Word count: 1,552**

 

O liver couldn't believe it as he boarded the plane in Moscow.

Anatoli had been reluctant at first, to allow him to travel back to the States. He wanted to keep Oliver by his side as he rose through the ranks in the Bratva, but Oliver made his case by telling Knyazev that this was the opportune moment to prove to the other Bratva members that Oliver could indeed be trusted.

In the end, Anatoli had agreed and put him on his own private plane with a brand new fake identity.

_Destination: Massachusetts._

Oliver shifted in his seat, scratching the beard he had allowed himself to grow after being rescued from Amanda Waller's clutches by his old friend. He had spent a year in Hong Kong, doing Waller's bidding and slowly peeling away the humanity he had left in him with every mission he accomplished for her. When he crossed paths with Anatoli, his friend had recognized him and immediately helped him get out, taking him with him to Russia. Since then, Oliver had stayed under the radar, trying to change his appearance as much as possible so that  _ A.R.G.U.S _ wouldn't be able to find him again so easily.

Joining the Bratva had been his own choice and Anatoli insisted upon teaching him Russian, just like he had promised him on the Island.

It was just supposed to be a simple mission.

Knyazev's people had suffered an attack on one of their accounts and their money had been  stolen . His own I.T people managed to track the hack back to the U.S, more specifically, the M.I.T campus in Massachusetts. Oliver was supposed to follow the lead, find the hacker that they had identified and bring the woman down  after forcing her to  return the money.

So, when Oliver sneaked into the room that Knyazev's men had told him belonged to the woman, he hadn't expected to see a petite looking, black haired girl laying fast asleep in her bed, a book covering half her face.

He slowly closed the window, looking around the room for anyone else, but it seemed that the girl's roommates were nowhere to be seen. For a moment, he remembered his own college days and how he had used to sneak girls back into his bedroom, but shook the thoughts out of his head quickly. He didn't have time to reminisce; he had a mission and he needed to prove himself.

Adjusting the balaclava slightly, he reached into his back pocket, taking out the knife  he had there. He stalked over to the girl slowly, reaching for the book with his gloved hand, drawing it down from her face.

He froze, and his breath caught in his throat.

She was beautiful.

He blinked a few times, staring down at her pale face and at her exposed throat. Her mouth was hanging open slightly and the thick-framed glasses she wore, were slightly crooked.

The book slipped from his grip and landed on the floor with a loud  _ thud. _ Hairs rose on his covered arms as she began stirring in her sleep, her eyes opening slowly. He was still looming over her and as soon as she registered him, she let out a gasp, her eyes widening as he covered her mouth with his hand.

“Shh,” he hushed her as she tried to get out of his grip. “ _ Тихий _ ,” he whispered, telling her to be quiet. She continued to struggle in his arms, clearly not understanding him. “Be quiet and you might not get hurt. Stop struggling,” he ground out in English this time.

Slowly, she began to relax in his grip, staring up at him with her bright blue eyes.

“Are you going to stay quiet?” he asked her and she nodded. “I am going to let go of you now, so keep your promise, or else you won't like what will happen to you,” he threatened. “ Do you understand?”

Once again, she nodded, her eyes filled with tears. He could feel her lips trembling against his hand and he almost felt sorry for her. It was her own fault though, for getting in the way of the Bratva.

He pulled his hand away from her mouth and she let out a small gasp, sitting up as he backed away from the bed.

“ Who are you?” she asked him, looking at the knife that he still had pointed at her.

“ _ Я из солнцевских Братва _ ,” he said, telling her that he was from the  _ Solntsevskaya Bratva _ .

“Yeah, you're going to have to switch back to English, because I haven't studied Russian,” the girl told him,  her voice trembling a little as she spoke. “I mean, I'm not one-hundred percent sure that it was Russian, but it sounded like it. I could always use a translation app-” She cut off her rambling as he tilted his head sideways, observing her. “I'm sorry. I ramble when I'm nervous and that big knife of yours is really making me nervous. Why are you here again?”

It took Oliver a minute to realize that she was once again talking to him.

“I came here to retrieve the money you stole from the  _ Solntsevskaya Bratva _ ,” he told her, once again trying to sound intimidating. He was failing miserably though, because the girl was far too amusing.

“Oh,” she frowned. “I haven't stolen any money from...whatever that thing you said was.”

“Get out of the bed,” he growled at her, pointing at her computer. “Log in and return the money. We traced back your hack assault to this very room and since you seem to be the only one here and you look  _ exactly  _ like the girl my superior showed me on the picture he gave me, I  _ know _ that you are the one who stole the money.”

The girl only stared at him, her mouth hanging open.

He sighed deeply and shook his head. “Look,” he said, holding the knife up again, folding it neatly before putting it back in his pocket. The girl was clearly not a threat to him. “Are you the girl who calls herself 'The Oracle'?” he wondered.

Her gaze fell on the computer and her mouth fell shut. “Yes, but I haven't hacked your organization. I've never even heard of it,” she admitted. Oliver observed her once again, not detecting any lies in her words.

“Is it possible for someone else to have used your account to hack us?” he asked.

“My boyfriend,” the girl muttered. “Or rather, soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. He taught me everything he knows about hacking and he...” she trailed off, jumping out of bed, running toward the computer.

At first Oliver was worried that she would try to alert someone, but then she started swearing under her breath, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

“That son of a bitch,” she said. “He hacked me! And he  _ stole money _ from the goddamn  _ Russian mob! _ ” She let out a humorless laugh, clicking a few buttons. Oliver walked closer to her, leaning over her shoulders as he watched her do her work.

_ Transaction complete _ , blinked on the screen and the girl shut her laptop down, turning around to face him again. She jumped back a little, bumping against the chair when she realized how close he was standing to her. Oliver himself swallowed, gazing into her mesmerizing azure eyes.

“He tried to frame you,” Oliver stated.

“Apparently,” the girl whispered, staring up at him. He couldn't help but feel as if she could see straight into his broken soul, despite the balaclava he was wearing.

“You're innocent.”

“Clearly.”

He stared down at her for another moment before giving her a curt nod. “We thank you for your cooperation,” he told her. “We'll see to it that your boyfriend-”

“Ex-boyfriend,” she corrected quickly.

He nodded, “ _ Ex-boyfriend _ . We'll make sure that he gets his punishment for what he did to us...and you.”

“Actually,” she breathed out. “I would rather like to take care of him myself. Don't worry about it, he won't bother you again.”

Once again he nodded, “Thank you...”

“Felicity,” she said. “My name is Felicity... Which I probably shouldn't be telling someone that came here with a knife and a mission to most likely kill me after getting back the money of the mobsters that I supposedly stole from.”

Oliver's mouth twitched up and he spared her one last glance as he walked back to the window that he had come in through. “Don't worry, Felicity,” he said calmly. “We won't be bothering you anymore.”

With that, he jumped out and ran back to the motorcycle that he had parked a couple of yards away.

-§-

“Mission went well, I see,” Anatoli said when Oliver stepped out of the airplane. “The money is back in our account and our associates are very please with you.” He patted Oliver on his back and Oliver grinned at him.

Yet, as he later shared a drink with his friend, he couldn't help but think back at Felicity, the girl who had rambled uncontrollably at him as he had threatened her life. A small smile appeared on his face and he promised himself that if he ever got back to Starling City again, he would try to look her up and ask her what she did to that no-good ex-boyfriend of hers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I loved writing this... Feel free to comment! =)


	4. The (Not So) Quiet Day At Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt. Married Olicity. Nine months pregnant Felicity goes into labor while she and Oliver are enjoying a rare, quiet moment at home. Oliver has to deliver the baby. - mysticlady2013 (on tumblr)

“ **The (Not So) Quiet Day At Home”**

**Word count: 1,479**

 

Felicity was sitting on the couch in their living room, watching her husband as he stirred a pot over the stove, glancing over at her with a smile every once in a while.

Her hand rested on her round belly, moving a finger in small circles every once in a while, enjoying the ticklish feeling it gave her and how their baby kicked whenever she put a little extra pressure on her stomach.

She still couldn't believe how lucky she was to be married to the love of her life. It had taken her and Oliver some time to figure out their feelings, and after a lot of what-ifs and weighing the risks back and forth, they had decided to just be together and see what happens. What happened was that their partnership grew stronger, as did their trust for each other. Every once in a while an enemy would come around and scare them, causing them to fight, but they always pushed through it; together. Two years ago, Oliver had gotten down on one knee and asked her to marry him and she had accepted, promising to make him just as happy as he was making her.

Nine months ago, when Felicity's pregnancy test turned out to be positive, they had both been anxious at first. It had been an unexpected pregnancy, a miscalculation on their part, but they knew that they wanted to keep the baby. Over the course of the pregnancy, they had quite a few arguments, mostly concerning Felicity's safety, but they worked through them all, knowing that ultimately, they would be happy once the baby came around.

Now, with Felicity being nine months pregnant and closing in on her due-date, she had taken time off from the lair and spent more time at home, making some final preparations. Tonight, Oliver had decided to surprise her, by staying in and letting Diggle and Roy handle patrolling tonight, with Thea as their I.T.-backup.

“Felicity,” Oliver called, startling her out of her thoughts.

She looked over at him, “Yes?”

“I was just asking you if you wanted to taste the sauce,” Oliver grinned.

Felicity smiled back and slowly stood from the couch, putting her hands on her lower back as she waddled over to her husband. “It's not funny, you know,” she told him when he chuckled. “You could have just brought me the spoon yourself.”

He held out the spoon for her and she put it in her mouth, groaning at the wonderful sauce that made her taste-buds dance in her mouth. “And miss out on my beautiful wife waddling toward me? No chance,” he said, pecking her lightly on the lips, making the frown disappear from her face. “Besides, the doctor told you last week that it was good for you to walk around a bit, didn't he?”

“Yeah, yeah. No need to remind me of that,” Felicity said dismissively. “Urgh, I need to pee.”

Oliver watched with great amusement as Felicity waddled off to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

* * *

When Felicity didn't come out of the bathroom for fifteen minutes, Oliver started getting worried. He walked up to the bathroom door and knocked, “Felicity?”

“I'm okay!” Felicity called back. “I just...got a little sidetracked.”

“You've been in there for fifteen minutes,” Oliver pointed out. “Can I come in?” He pushed the handle down and opened the door without waiting for her response. The two of them had agreed that she wouldn't lock the door to the bathroom anymore, in case she needed his help with something.

He was greeted by the sight of Felicity looking down at the toilet, a frown on her face and her hands on her big belly.

“What? Did an alien fall out?” Oliver teased, referring to that one time that she had freaked out about their baby actually being an alien after watching some movie.

“No, but I think my water broke,” she replied calmly.

“ _What?_ ” Oliver asked, quickly running to her side. As he caught her arm, he noticed that there was sweat beading on her forehead and that she was biting her lip.

“I'm not entirely sure,” she said. “I sat down on the toilet and then it just sort of... _Splosh,_ ” she tried to explain, making a strange sound.

“'Splosh'?” Oliver asked, frowning as he looked down in the toilet seat. “I don't see anything.”

“Yeah, I flushed in panic before I had a chance to look,” Felicity admitted, still remaining calm. Oliver however, felt panic starting to set in.

“Have you been feeling any contractions?” he asked.

“All day,” she told him and he nearly fainted as he closed his eyes to calm himself.

“Felicity.”

“I'm sorry!” she exclaimed. “I figured it was still too early and the doctor told us it was normal to experience cramps, similar to actual contractions. How was I supposed to know? It's not as if I've given birth to a child before!”

A drop of sweat fell from her forehead and he gently grabbed her arm. “Stay calm,” he told her. “Let's go lay down and I'll get the things we need and then we'll head over to the hospital. I'll call Dig and the others on the way.”

Felicity nodded, inhaling through her nose as he helped her walk to the living room again where she sat down on the couch. He ran to the kitchen and turned off the stove, removing the food in the process.

“Ouch!” Felicity yelled out suddenly, making him run back to the living room.

“Felicity, Felicity! It's okay,” he said, kneeling down in front of her, taking her hand in his. She had tears in her eyes and another drop of swear fell from her forehead. “We'll get through this,” he smiled at her. “This is just another miscalculation. We've faced criminals a thousand times worse.”

“Yeah,” she nodded, taking a calming breath. “We'll be fine- _Ah!_ ” she screamed, clenching her eyes shut as another contraction hit her.

“We need to get you to the hospital,” Oliver said, standing up to grab the bag and the car keys, but Felicity pulled him back.

“ _No!_ ” she growled. “I can't move, Oliver!”

“Felicity, we have to take you to the doctors,” Oliver tried calmly but Felicity just shook her head.

“We won't make it there in time,” she told him. “I will _not_ give birth to our child in a car!”

He stared at her, dumbfounded, “So you want to...?”

“You have to deliver the baby,” she sighed, leaning back on the couch again, her breaths coming out in short pants.

“Felicity, I'm not sure...” he trailed off, wincing as her grip on his hand tightened as another contraction hit her. He waited it out and gently brushed his hand against her cheek, telling her to keep calm once again.

“Oliver, I trust you,” she whimpered, a tear rolling down her cheek. “I'm telling you that I can't move, because it hurts too much. Call an ambulance, but I _can't_ get up from this couch.”

Oliver watched his wife, hating that she was in pain. He contemplated lifting her, but he knew she wouldn't agree to it. Besides, by the way she was hurting, he doubted he could get her to the car safely and even then, he might not be able to reach the hospital in time. Going over his options one last time, he rose to his feet and ran to the other room.

“Where are you going?” Felicity called after him. He returned a few seconds later with a couple of towels and some hot water.

“I'm staying right here,” he said, kneeling in front of her again. He met her half-hooded gaze. “I'm going to deliver our baby.”

* * *

Rose Jemma Queen was born on a late autumn day, in her parents living room. Her father had called an ambulance and because of an inconvenient accident on the way to their apartment building, they arrived just a few minutes after Felicity had given birth, with the help of her husband. The paramedics helped her deliver the placenta before taking the little baby girl from her father's arms so that they could check her. She was a lovely, healthy normal-weighing baby and both she and her mother were taken to the hospital so that they could be checked up on and cleaned properly.

Later, when Felicity and Oliver sat in the corner of the private hospital room they had been assigned, their baby girl in Felicity's arms, Felicity leaned up and pecked him lightly on the corner of his mouth.

“My hero,” she whispered, her finger gently running over the hairs on Rose's head.

Oliver smiled down at her and then took a hold of her hand that rested over Rose's stomach. Brushing his fingers against the baby, he murmured back, “My world.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Tell me in a comment! ;)


	5. Cheaper by the... Baby?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Oliver and Felicity go shopping for a present for Diggles new baby, and for some reason they end up pretending they're a couple and Felicitys 'pregnant'" – Anon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I really don't know how I did with this one, but I hope I did it justice. This is basically just supposed to be a funny thing, so yeah... =)

” **Cheaper By The... Baby?”**

**Word count: 1,755**

* * *

 

 

”Tell me one more time why we have to drive out of town to find the perfect gift for Diggle's baby?”

Felicity sighed deeply at Oliver's question as she took the next turn, passing the 'You're now leaving Starling City'-sign. She had explained it to him ten times already and she really didn't feel like doing so again. Nevertheless, she decided to give him the explanation one last time, mostly because of the little pout he was giving her with his lips and the little wrinkle between his brows that had formed due to his confused expression.

“As I told you this morning,” Felicity began, her eyes on the road ahead, “I saw an add in the newspaper yesterday about this great new baby store that opened just out of town. They are having a great sale because of the grand opening and since you're poor now- well, not as poor as some others, but poor for Oliver Queen- I figured that it would be a good way for you to save money.”

“I don't mind spending my money on Diggle and Lyla's baby,” Oliver pointed out. “I want that kid to have everything.”

“And that's a sweet thought, Oliver, it really is,” Felicity acknowledged.

“But...?” Oliver drawled, sensing that she had something to add.

“ _But_ , if you keep wasting your money like this, you'll _really_ be broke in a matter of months,” she told him. “So, you'll be thanking me for this later.”

“I'm not sure if it's worth sitting in a mini for almost an hour though,” Oliver pointed out, shifting a little in his seat where he sat uncomfortably.

“I told you you could push the seat back!” Felicity laughed.

“I did, but your car is just so small that it didn't help at all,” Oliver objected, groaning as he accidentally sat up a little straighter and bumped his head on the ceiling of the car.

“It's not my fault you're gargantuan,” Felicity continued to giggle.

He shot her a glare as he rubbed his head, “It's not my fault that you're practically a pixie.”

“Hey!” Felicity shot out, smacking him lightly on the arm. “I am _so_ not a pixie! I'm average, which is fine, but you're, like, a giant!”

“There's nothing average about you, Felicity,” Oliver mumbled, a smile on his face as he saw a light blush creep up on his blonde partner's cheeks before he turned to look out the window.

* * *

“I'm just saying that we should totally think about adding a knock-out arrow to your collection,” Felicity stated as they stepped out of the car.

“Yeah, yeah,” Oliver nodded. “We'll discuss that later when we get home. I don't want anyone overhearing us here.”

“Okay, but don't think you can charm your way out of this discussion and make me forget,” Felicity told him as they made their way inside the store.

T his was by far one of the biggest baby stores that Felicity had ever seen in her entire life. Not she had ever had to actually go into a baby store before, but she had seen them from the outside and they had never looked this big. Every other corner was covered with blue and pink balloons, huge signs spelling out 'SALE' could be seen all around the store and most importantly, the variety of items available was mind-blowing.

“Where do we begin?” Oliver asked next to her and she shook her head slowly.

“I have no idea.”

“Maybe we should ask someone for help?” Oliver suggested, looking a little mind-blown himself.

“We can do this by ourselves, Oliver,” Felicity insisted. “We hunt down criminals on a daily basis, how hard can it be to pick out a few gifts for a baby?”

“When you put it like that...” Oliver shrugged. “So what do you think they'll need? Baby clothes? A crib? A stroller?”

“All of the above,” Felicity replied before letting out a small laugh. “Can you imagine Diggle walking around with a stroller in the park?”

Oliver chuckled at the thought as he grinned down at her, “Or changing diapers.”

Felicity laughed harder, clutching her stomach in the process. “Okay, okay, back to business,” she smiled at Oliver. “A stroller then?”

“And some clothes,” Oliver agreed. “And maybe a toy or two.”

“Oliver, don't get carried away,” Felicity said, grabbing his arm gently. “We'll have plenty of time to spoil the kid.”

“Oh how cute, is this your first child?” an unfamiliar voice spoke up from behind them. Felicity and Oliver turned around to look at the shop assistant that had apparently overheard part of their conversation.

“Excuse me?” Felicity frowned. What had the girl just asked her?

“I asked, is this your first child?” the girl asked, a smile still on her face.

Felicity's eyes widened as she looked up at Oliver, who was looking down at her with an equally shocked expression.

“Oh,” Felicity managed to get out, but the rest of her words froze in the back of her throat. Did this girl really think that she and Oliver...? The thought was ridiculous! Absolutely _unthinkable_!

“We're not-” Oliver began, but the sales assistant seemed way too eager to help them, so she immediately interrupted.

“As you can see, we have a special sale going, _just today_ , and _just_ for first-time-parents!” she told them happily.  Felicity tilted her head and looked at her confusedly before turning to look up at Oliver.

“Wait, the sale is  _ just _ for first-time-parents?” Oliver frowned.

“Yes, indeed it is!” the girl clapped, over-excitedly.

Oliver turned his attention back to Felicity, who was desperately trying to remember what the article had actually said. Maybe she had read it in a hurry and missed the fact that it said that only couples who were expecting their first child had the privilege of shopping cheaper?  She couldn't help but feel like she had been tricked into driving here. When she had looked at the price tags earlier, she had told Oliver not to worry about it since it was clear that  the sale would make the items cheaper. Now though, her brain was quickly adding up the various items they had looked at and the price for the whole sum was making her feel dizzy.

“ So? Are you?” the girl asked them again, this time not as enthusiastically as before. “Is it your first child?”

Felicity met Oliver's eyes. He was hesitant, but she knew that he was thinking the same thing that she was. The small nod she gave him, the one that she knew only he would see, seemed to be enough for him. He gently wrapped an arm around Felicity's waist, pulling her a little closer to his side and they both turned to smile fondly at the sales woman.

“Yes, it is,” Oliver replied, his voice not betraying any kind of hesitation.

“Oh, that's wonderful!” the girl clapped. “Congratulations! How far along are you, if you don't mind me asking?” she asked Felicity.

“It's still new, as you can see,” Felicity replied, motioning to her stomach. “We've just past the first trimester.”

“ That's wonderful,” the girl beamed.

“Yeah, it is,” Oliver nodded, smiling down at Felicity.

She was surprised by how naturally the lying came to them as the girl showed them all the various items they would eventually need. After walking around the shop for an hour, talking non-stop to the shop assistant-  _ Dana _ , her name was Dana- Felicity could already feel exhaustion setting in.

“This stroller is the best we have and with today's sale, you'll get it at half price!” Dana told them, showing them a black stroller with dark orange details. “ Would you like to try and roll it around a bit?”

“Oh, no, it's fine,” Felicity said as she leaned against Oliver for support. “We'll take your word for it.”

“Are you sure that  _ dad _ doesn't want to try it?” Dana insisted, looking over at Oliver.

Felicity tried hard to push back the images that flooded her brain. Her carrying a baby with dark blonde curls and azure eyes while Oliver got the stroller ready... Oliver pushing the stroller in the park while she ran after a little five-year-old with a pink flower dress.

“I'm fine, thank you,” Oliver politely declined. “I'll have plenty of time pushing strollers.”

“And carrying babies,” Dana nodded. “I can just tell that the two of you will be naturals at it. You seem like a lovely couple.”

Oliver's grip on Felicity's waist tightened a little and her hand came up to rest on his chest. “That's us,” she grinned, but she could feel that this little play of theirs was getting the better of her. They needed to head back home anyway since they had work to do in the lair.  She turned to look at Oliver, “Maybe we should just take the stroller and come back some other day? I'm a little tired.”

Oliver seemed to understand what she was telling him and nodded, “Sure thing, babe.” The next thing she knew, he had pressed one of the softest kisses she had ever experienced against her forehead,  while at the same time putting his hand over her abdomen . She could feel her cheeks heating up as she glanced over at Dana, who was smiling widely at them.

“Oh, you two are so cute,” she gushed. “So the stroller then?”

The only thing Felicity could do was nod  as Oliver let go of her and picked up the big box that Dana directed them to.

A couple of minutes later, the stroller was paid for and put in her trunk.  Felicity sat down in the driver's seat as Oliver settled down next to her, this time managing to pull the chair back a little more to give him more room to move.

“ Well, that's something you don't experience every day,” Felicity muttered as she put the car in drive.

“Yeah,” Oliver agreed. “Next time though, will you make sure that you read the add more thoroughly?”

“Promise,” Felicity nodded.

“But you sold the story though,” he told her.

“We both did,” she agreed, looking at him from the corner of her eyes. There was a smile playing on his lips and when he reached over and took her small hand in his, she didn't protest.

It wasn't until half an hour that she remembered something.

“Wait a second,” she frowned.

“What now?” he wondered.

She turned slightly in her seat and gave him an incredulous look, “Do I really look pregnant?”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? ;)


	6. But you love it when I'm cheesy...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I see you're doing prompts, I have one: Oliver and Felicity attend a "friends" (your choice) wedding where they have a great time until they have a silly argument (again your choice) where Felicity ends up outside and Oliver comes to apologize and they dance in the moonlight (basically fluff) -Anon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this one and I took the liberty of making up a wedding! =) I decided to go with them actually attending a real wedding and being happy and sweet...at least for a moment! Hope you like it, whoever you are! =D

” **But you love it when I'm cheesy... ”**

**Word count: 2,484**

 

If someone would have told Oliver four years ago that he would be attending Laurel Lance's wedding to Ray Palmer of all people, he would have told the person that he or she was absolutely insane.

And yet, here he was; at the described wedding with none other than Felicity as his date. Or, well, they had agreed to come as friends because things between them were still unlabeled.

The funny thing about their ex's getting married was that none of them had seen it coming. Oliver had since long given up on his relationship with Laurel and instead established a good friendship with her. Felicity on the other hand, had only dated Ray for a few months and then called it quits; reasons unknown to Oliver.

So when Laurel came up to Felicity one day, all nervous and evasive, Oliver had observed them from afar, wondering what was going on. When he saw Felicity smiling, shaking her head and finally embracing Laurel, he knew immediately that something was up between them. Later that night, he had asked Felicity about it and Felicity had explained that Laurel had bumped into Ray one evening and they had hit it off. Apparently, Laurel had asked for Felicity's permission to date Ray, which Felicity had found hilarious since she and Ray were still friends and she only wanted them both to be happy.

Nevertheless, things between Laurel and Ray had gone pretty well, if Laurel's white dress was any indication and Oliver sincerely couldn't be happier.

He and Felicity had been invited separately but agreed to come together as friends. Everyone else, including the two of them, knew that they both had feelings for each other, but after their failed date almost two years ago, neither had dared to approach the other again. Instead, Oliver watched as Felicity dated, first Ray and then Dick Grayson and then some other men that never actually got a second date. He pretended that he was okay with it, asking her how her date had been, but each time, their gazes would linger a little too long, because they both knew what he was really saying.

_I wish it was me._

_I want you to be happy._

_I still want you._

_I still love you._

Oliver had tried to move on, he really had. Although, it seemed that he always ended up comparing the women that approached him to Felicity and they always came up short.

Oliver and Felicity's friendship hadn't been strained by the tension that still existed between them, but they both sometimes needed to take a step back from the other in order to think clearly. When Laurel had dropped the invitations into their hands one evening in the Foundry and then left to go home to Ray, Felicity had been the one to suggest that they go together. Oliver had agreed, not wanting to attend the wedding alone and always happy to be in Felicity's company.

When the day finally came, he picked up Felicity from her house and drove them to the church where the wedding would be held. They sat next to each other and grinned from ear to ear as they watched Laurel and Ray fumble with their vows, unaware of the fact that Diggle and Lyla were sitting behind them with their daughter in Diggle's lap, watching in amusement as Felicity put her head on Oliver's shoulder.

Later, at the reception that was being held at a hotel, the two of them spent time together, laughing as Felicity took silly pictures of Diggle's little Angela that they were going to frame later. When Oliver picked up the toddler and went to the dance floor, swaying softly with her in her arms, Felicity almost squealed as she ran to them and started snapping pictures with her phone.

There was something there and he couldn't help but wonder if this was the night that they would finally dare to take a step forward.

Naturally, it didn't take long for the lovely evening to turn.

Oliver had gone to get him and Felicity a glass of wine and when he had returned, he had stood frozen in place at what he saw.

Felicity was sitting on a chair, a smile on her face as she put a loose curl behind her ear, looking bashfully at a man that was sitting in front of her. The man that Oliver didn't recognize was leaning slightly toward Felicity and her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at him.

Oliver felt sick.

He turned around and walked off, handing the two wine glasses to a random person before heading straight for the open bar. He ordered a shot and downed it before ordering another one. How could he have been so stupid? Had he really expected for everything to just fall into place with him and Felicity again? After everything they had been through, he knew that they were close friends, but he wanted something more and after weeks of contemplating, he had finally made the decision that he was ready, consequences be damned.

And now, Felicity was off flirting with some other guy.

Oliver downed another shot.

* * *

Felicity glanced across the room, seeing Oliver's very familiar back retreat towards the bar. He had gone to get them both a glass of wine, when Dan from _Stellmoor International_ had approached her with a job offer. She had politely declined of course, telling him that she was happy where she was at Queen Consolidated, working side by side with her good friend Oliver Queen.

That was when she had seen Oliver walk off and she had immediately stood up and excused herself, following him the best she could with the tight dress and the high heels she was currently wearing.

She found him in the bar, downing what looked like his second shot and she couldn't help but frown at him.

“Oliver? What are you doing?” she wondered, putting her hand on his shoulder. When he shrugged it off, her gut twisted and she stared at him in shock.

“Clearly wasting my time,” he muttered. “Why don't you head off and flirt with someone else? It's not as if you came here with me tonight.”

The mixture of emotions in his tone took her aback. Annoyance, anger, jealousy, _hurt;_ it was all there.

“Oliver, I don't know what you're talking about,” she countered. “I was waiting for you to come back with the wine and the next thing I know, all I can see is your back as you're walking away from me.”

Oliver turned in his seat and faced her, “Well, I didn't want to interrupt you, in case you were going to get lucky with _that_ guy.” The venom in his voice actually made her flinch and she looked in the direction that he was motioning in.

“Dan? Oh no, Oliver,” she groaned. “It's a big misunderstanding.”

“Really?” Oliver said, sarcasm still there. “Because it sure didn't look like a mistake when you were giggling with him just a few minutes ago.”

“Oliver, will you please just shut up already?” Felicity snapped. “Let me explain-”

“I came here with you tonight,” Oliver said, ignoring her. “I came here with _you_ , because _you_ asked me to accompany you. I was stupid for thinking that it was some kind of sign that you were finally ready too.”

“Ready for _what_?” Felicity asked.

“Ready to be with me!” He was breathing heavily and Felicity's eyes were starting to tear up. “But clearly, I was wrong.”

No, he had been _right_.

When Felicity had asked him to come with her to Laurel's wedding, she too had been hoping that he would understand that she was finally ready for them to take that final step. All her failed dates meant nothing to her because all she ever imagined was how well things had been going between her and Oliver before the restaurant had exploded around them.

So yes, even if she had said that they would only be attending as friends, she hadn't been able to hope that things between them would just click. They had been having such a great time up until now and she had even talked to Diggle about confessing to Oliver that she might actually be in love with him. After all, that was the main reason that she and Ray broke up.

“We were having such a great time,” she finally spoke, her voice a mere whisper, “and then you had to ruin it by getting jealous because Dan from Stellmoor decided to offer me a job in their IT-department, which I declined.” She watched as realization slowly appeared on his face and suddenly, he looked like he knew that he had made the biggest mistake of his life. “I'm sorry for making you think that anyone else could be more important to me than you,” she said, turning on her heel and walking away from him.

She just couldn't be there anymore. She needed some fresh air and she found herself walking out of the hotel, sending a look in Diggle's direction when she saw that he had been about to stop her. He backed off and nodded, returning to Lyla and Angela, but she knew that she would be getting a text message later from him, asking what had transpired between her and Oliver.

She found herself walking in circles out in the garden as she tried to keep the tears from falling. Oliver Queen would _not_ be the reason that she ruined the makeup that she had worked so hard on to perfect tonight. Yet, she just couldn't help but let one tear fall as she sat down on a bench and buried her face in her hands.

She had been so deep in her thoughts, that she hadn't hear Oliver approaching her until he was sitting next to her on the bench. She knew it was him, even if she didn't look up because honestly, she was just far too upset and embarrassed to actually be able to look at him. Had he really thought so low of her? That she would just hook up with some random guy at a wedding when he had come with her, even as a friend?

“I'm sorry,” he finally said, still sitting at a safe distance from her. Was he expecting her to hit him or something?

_I just might_ , she thought to herself.

“Do you even know what you're sorry for, Oliver?” she asked him, sitting up straighter as she looked up at him.

His jaw was clenched and she could tell that he was having a problem with looking at her. “I'm sorry for thinking that you were flirting with that guy and I'm sorry for being jealous, when I really don't have the right to be,” he replied.

“Are you actually admitting that you were jealous?” Felicity frowned. That had been unexpected to say the least. She had known for a fact that he had been jealous, but for him to admit it... That was new.

“Yes, and I'm sorry because I know that...” he trailed off, closing his eyes as he swallowed thickly.

“You know what?” she whispered, reaching for his hand despite that she was still a little upset with him.

“You're not mine.”

His voice had been so low that she had barely heard him and he looked so vulnerable in that moment, that it actually made her heart beat faster. It was a rare sight, this side of Oliver. She knew that he had been letting it show a lot more around her recently, but it still somehow managed to take his breath away.

“Even if I was yours, I would never accept you acting the way you did,” she told him as she intertwined their fingers. “But I accept your apology.”

He looked up at her then, his eyes hopeful.

“ _And_ ,” she drawled, “you were wrong before... About being wrong. You were right, I mean.”

“What?” he asked, confusion appearing on his face but she didn't fail to notice the way the corner of his mouth twitched up into a half smile.

She couldn't help but smile back at him, “I did invite you to come with me for entirely selfish reasons.”

“Oh.”

“And not just because I wanted the best man-candy around to be my date,” she blushed at her own words, not believing what was coming out of her mouth. Still, she continued softly, “I wanted to come here with you tonight because I was ready. I _am_ ready, but only if you are too.”

His hand came up to cup her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. She was feeling lightheaded and a little breathless again. He was leaning in and she found her eyelids getting heavier as they began to flutter shut. She could feel his hot breath against her lips and she recalled that one time in the hospital, when they had been in a similar situation. Her hand grasped the sleeve of his jacket and his other hand fell to her knee as they breathed each other in for a moment.

“Dance with me...” he finally whispered.

Her eyes shot up, “What?”

“We never got the chance to dance together and I want to make up for the hurtful things I said in there,” Oliver clarified, leaning back a little. She instantly felt the loss of warmth as he stood up and held out his hand to her. “May I have this dance?”

“This is probably the cheesiest thing you've ever done,” Felicity said, not being able to help the small laugh that escaped her as she took his hand, “But yes, you may have this dance.”

He pulled her up from the bench and his other hand immediately wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. She knew that she was blushing furiously, but she didn't really care as she put her hand on Oliver's shoulder and he intertwined their fingers again.

“But you love it when I'm cheesy,” he countered, playfully grinning down at her.

She brought her hand that had been on his shoulder over to his neck and pulled him down, boldly closing the distance between them as she claimed his lips with her own. He was startled for a moment, but recovered quickly, kissing her back with equal fervor.

She pulled back just as abruptly as she had kissed him, smiling at his dazed expression.

“I love you when you're being you,” she told him somberly.

The almost lovestruck expression that appeared on Oliver's face at her words made her confession worth it.

“Then it's a good thing,” he said, “that I'm my best me when I'm with you.”

“And?” she pressed, playing with the lapels of his shirt as she once again pulled him closer.

“And I love you too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always welcome and keep sending in the prompts on tumblr! =)


	7. Happy Birthday, Felicity Smoak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ”It's Felicitys birthday and shes annoyed, everyone seems to have forgotten plus Oliver asked her to work late at QC whilst he had other things to do. She goes home planning on celebrating alone, when she gets in she hears noises. Freaked out a little she grabs something heads into the kitchen to find all of team arrow etc baking her a cake, the place full of banners, balloons, party food, mint choc chip icecream and gifts.” - Anon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, technically, it's still my own birthday (for another 30 mins or so) and I had this prompt just laying around, so I figured I should post it!  
> Hope you guys like it! There's fluff ahead!  
> Oh and SPOILER: In this story, everyone that was alive at the end of season 2 is still alive, but this is a small reminder that it takes place like two years into the future (so Felicity has been with team arrow for 4 years or so). I just hope that it makes sense! =)

 

” **Happy Birthday, Felicity Smoak”**

**Word count: 2,571**

* * *

 

To say that Felicity was pissed off would definitively be the understatement of the year.

In fact, she was so angry and upset with the people in her life at the moment, that she almost felt like taking Oliver's compound bow to beat all of them with it over the head. Actually, she could probably come up with something else that was a far more violent and expressive way to show them just how upset with them she was, but since that was the first thing she had managed to think of, that was the only image she was able to keep in her head.

It was her birthday.

Her _twenty-_ _eight_ _birthday_ , and not _one_ of her friends had remembered.

T he day had begun quite well, so would never had expected things to turn as sour as they had. It wasn't the awful kind of day that you sometimes saw in the movies or on television where she spilled her coffee, or forgot her umbrella at home, or got hit by a bus... No, it had been a perfectly normal day, except for the fact that everyone seemed to have forgotten that it  _wasn't_ just any other day.

_It was her Goddamn birthday._

Felicity had woken up rested, for the first time in what felt like ages. She hadn't had  _any_ nightmares, but she knew that she had dreamed something that had made her feel extremely relaxed. After waking up, she had allowed herself a moment to just stay in bed and take in the fact that she was now twenty- eight years old and for a while, she reflected  over the things she had accomplished so far.

Graduating from MIT was one of the things she was most proud of, but to be honest, the number one spot on her list was- and would always be- the things she has done to protect Starling City as a member of Team Arrow.

She had been a part of the team for almost  four years now and they sure had had their ups and downs every once in a while.  After Slade's attack  two years ago, the team had fallen into an easy rhythm. It had been a little rocky at first, with Oliver and Diggle arguing over Diggle's field work, Roy being hung up on and insisting they look for Thea and then of course, her and Oliver's budding relationship blowing up in their faces-  _literally._

It took them almost the entire year, but they found Thea and brought her back and since she knew the truth about Oliver, she joined their team after a lot of soul searching. Sara stopped by from time to time, Nyssa always in a tow, but Felicity was glad that she could see her friend.

The point was that they were all in a good place right now, even Laurel who worked at the DA's office and took care of cases that involved the Arrow and the criminals he caught. She and Oliver had grown a lot closer too this last year, especially after she and Ray broke up after dating for six months. They had gotten back Queen Consolidated and sometimes it felt like they were once again teetering on the edge of becoming a couple... Still, they were close; _all of them_.

So why in the name of everything had _everyone_ forgotten about her birthday?

She had gotten dressed extra nice today, opting to wear her new beige colored high heels and one of her navy blue dresses, curling the ends of her blonde tresses and leaving it down instead of putting it up in her usual ponytail.

“Good morning, Oliver!” she had greeted happily when he had arrived a little later.

He had  shuffled some papers around in his hand, not even looking up at her as he mumbled a 'hello' before walking into the office.  She had remained standing for a moment before following him.

“Sorry I couldn't pick up your coffee this morning,” he had apologized, picking his phone up, “I've had a really busy morning.” Before she had the chance to say anything he was having a very important conversation with Bruce Wayne.

W hen Diggle arrived, he wasn't much better.

Instead of wishing her a happy birthday, he too seemed to have forgotten about it completely. He kept showing her pictures of baby Angela on the phone that he had taken the night before and a clip of her running around the apartment while Lyla followed her around.

She loved baby Angela, she truly did. But was it that difficult to remember _one_ specific date?

During that first year that she had joined the team, her birthday had already passed so she hadn't thought about it much. Then, the second year, Oliver had run back to Lian Yu and Diggle had been trying to work things out with Carly, so she hadn't wanted to be another thing for him to think of. When she had casually mentioned that it had been her birthday the day before though, Diggle had insisted on taking her out for dinner. They had had a lot of fun and she had shared some stories from her childhood, mainly how her mother had always worked during her birthday so that she was used to spending it in solitude.

She couldn't even remember what had caused even herself to skip her birthday last year, but it must have been something important... Maybe it was the whole Ra's Al Ghul thing that went down?

It didn't really matter.

Because not only did Oliver and Diggle forget her birthday this year, but Oliver also asked her to stay at the office longer to finish some reports that _he_ was supposed to give back to the chief of finance in the morning. She was pissed, but she stayed anyway, because despite her protests, they apparently _wouldn't be needing her_ in the lair tonight.

So, when she finally finished proof reading the last report, she grabbed her bag furiously and stomped to the elevator and headed out of the building. On her way home, she stopped at a gas station and bought a cupcake in the shop, determined to at least give herself a wish before the night was over.

She didn't need anyone to celebrate her birthday with her. She had been doing fine on her own for all these years, so this year wouldn't have to be special either...

Parking her car outside of her town house, she walked up the path, looking through her purse for her keys. She fumbled a bit with the keys before stopping dead in her tracks.

She could swear she had just heard someone talking on the other side of the door.

Leaning a bit closer, she listened intently. When she heard something crash on the inside, she jumped away from the door and gaped.

_Oh, just my luck_ .

Slowly, she put the key in the door and turned it, making as little noise as possible. She opened the door and put her bag on the floor, quietly toeing off her shoes so that they wouldn't make any noise. She grabbed the baseball bat she had next to her door (she had been meaning to put it away but never gotten around to it) and approached the kitchen where the noise seemed to be coming from.

She should have called Oliver or Diggle, or even Thea, she realized. Roy would surely also have been willing to help, but of course she had had to go ahead and decide to attack a burglar on her own just because she was angry at them for forgetting her birthday!

Without thinking, she stepped into the kitchen, bat held high above her head as she prepared to bring it down on the head of the person who was making a mess of her kitchen.

“Felicity!” a familiar voice called out before she could swing the bat and she froze again, staring at the scene before her.

Oliver was holding his hands up in front of him, because apparently she had been about to smash his head in with her bat. Behind him, Roy and Thea were blowing up balloons while Lyla and Laurel had frozen over a cake. They had clearly been putting frosting on it when Felicity had interrupted them. To the right, Sara was holding baby Angela who gurgled happily at the sight of Felicity while Diggle was hanging a sign that said ' _Happy Birthday Felicity!_ ' on the wall.

“I thought you said that she wouldn't be here in another hour, Ollie!” Laurel exclaimed suddenly as the others also turned and glared at Oliver.

“I was _sure_ it would take longer to look through those reports...” Oliver muttered under his breath, eyes still intent on her. Felicity felt her chest constrict as she stared at them all, her mouth hung open. Oliver shrugged and held his hands up in an innocent looking surrender, “Surprise?”

F elicity dropped the bat loudly on the floor and turned around, walking off to the living room, leaving them all stunned behind. She sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands, tears falling before she had a chance to even try to keep them in.

Her shoulders were shaking when she felt someone drop a warm hand on one of them. The couch dipped slightly next to her and she leaned into the person, recognizing Oliver's familiar scent when she allowed him to embrace her.

“Felicity, what's wrong?” he whispered against her hair.

“I thought you had forgotten!” Felicity cried into his shirt. “I-I was so sure t-that no one remembered...” She forced herself to pull back from his embrace and she wiped her eyes before looking at the others who had joined her and Oliver in the living room by now. “Every year since I left for MIT, I've celebrated my birthday alone,” she told them, hiccuping. “I never thought I was missing out on anything, but every once in a while, I would imagine what it would feel like to have a _real_ family that cared enough to remember...” she trailed off again, smiling this time, even though another tear fell down her cheek. “And now I have this,” she motioned to them all, “I have _all of you_ and I'm so, _so_ happy.”

Oliver's hand touched her shoulder again, “You honestly thought we would forget your birthday?”

She smacked him, “Of course you idiot! You were completely ignoring me all day long and Diggle kept showing me baby pictures! No one called and no one texted!”

“It was supposed to be a _surprise_ ,” Roy deadpanned, but he looked a little sorry.

“Maybe we should have made sure that she wouldn't think we were completely neglecting her,” Sara pointed out. “We're sorry Felicity.”

“No, no!” Felicity quickly protested, standing up and hugging Sara tightly. “I love it. It was a really sweet thought and all, but please, next time, try not to be so good at pretending to forget all about me.”

“We could never forget about you, Felicity,” Diggle told her. “You're to core of our team.”

“And you're a part of our family,” Lyla added. “No matter how messed up we might be sometimes.”

The others nodded in agreement and Oliver stood up beside her again.

“This is all my fault,” he said. “It was my idea to surprise you, but I never would have thought you would react this way.”

“Oliver, it's okay,” Felicity tried to reassure him, once again stepping into his arms, hugging him.

“Well then, since we haven't even set up half the stuff yet, how about you help us and then we can dig into the cake and start with the presents?” Laurel suggested with a smile.

Two hours later, they had all eaten the cake and Felicity had opened all the presents her friends had bought her. They laughed and played games and Felicity had never felt more loved.

“We should head home,” Sara said, checking her watch. “I promised Nyssa I would check in with her and tell her how you liked the surprise. She's still sorry for not being able to come.”

“Oh, tell her I loved it,” Felicity smiled, embracing Sara. “And please skip the part where I almost beat Oliver to a pulp with a baseball bat.”

“No problem,” Sara grinned before leaning in toward Felicity's ear, “ _That's a story for a wedding_.”

Felicity pulled away from her, dumbfounded for a moment before Laurel stepped up to hug her as well before the Lance's made their exit. Soon, Thea and Roy left too, along with the Diggle's.

“I'll stay and help you clean,” Oliver said, with a tone that told her that it wasn't up for discussion. All she could do was nod and smile at him.

She was standing in the kitchen doing the dishes when Oliver walked in carrying the small box with the cupcake she had bought on her way home. Having completely forgotten about it, she watched as Oliver opened the box and pulled it out, placing a single candle in the middle of it before lighting it with a match.

“You should get another wish,” he told her with a small smile.

“Oh really?” Felicity quirked her eyebrow. “I think I have almost everything I need already.”

“'Almost' being the important word in that sentence,” Oliver said, holding the cupcake up in front of her. It was a simple blueberry cupcake with blue vanilla frosting on top and it had been the only one left on the counter.

“Hmm...” Felicity hummed, closing her eyes as she made the wish and then blew out the candle. When she opened them again, she met Oliver's gaze and held it as she pried the cupcake from his hand, slowly removing the wrapping. She took a small bite and almost groaned at the lovely taste before holding it out in front of Oliver. “I can share,” she said as-a-matter-of-factly when he raised an eyebrow at her. “No one should miss out on this cheap goodness.”

Oliver nodded slowly and took a light hold of her wrist, his thumb moving in small circles on her skin as he guided the cupcake to his mouth and took a bite, eyes never wavering from hers.

“This is a really good cupcake,” he agreed, blue frosting sticking to his upper lip. Felicity stared at it for only a second before moving forward, gently brushing her lips against his, effectively removing the sweet frosting from his lip.

“You had some frosting there,” she told him. His eyes fell shut and she wondered if she had made a huge mistake.

Then, he swiped off some frosting off the cupcake and smeared it on her lower lip right before his other hand came up to tangle in her hair as he brought her mouth back to his.

“You've got something there too,” he whispered, closing the distance between them.

* * *

A year and a half later, Sara told the story about how Felicity had almost beaten her poor husband to death one evening when he had pulled together a surprise party for her birthday. The guests at the wedding laughed then, but when Felicity shoved a blueberry cupcake with blue vanilla frosting into Oliver's face as revenge for him letting Sara tell the story, the two of them shared a secret smile before bursting into laughter themselves.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? =) I still have a few prompts to fill, but I'm very busy nowadays with my other fic Hunted, but I'll see how thing go! Keep sending them though, and I'll make sure to write as much as I can when I have time! =D  
> Thank you for reading! Don't forget to leave a comment! ;)


	8. A Little Thing We Call High School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”I have a prompt: High school AU. Oliver saves Felicity from a bully. Love your writing btw... ” - Anon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So here's a quick little prompt-fill which is long over-due! I figured that since I'm taking a break from writing Hunted, I might as well fill the prompts I've got waiting in my ask box on tumblr whenever I have time! :)  
> I've read a couple of other "Felicity gets bullied and Oliver steps in" fics, and I sort of wanted to do it a little differently than Oliver just saving the day. Either way, I hope you like it! Enjoy! :)

 

” **A Little Thing We Call High School”**

**Word count: 2,115**

* * *

 

Oliver couldn't believe what had just happened.

He stared after the petite blonde, who was probably a year or two younger than him as she walked away from him, her ponytail swinging back and forth.

“Dude,” Tommy breathed next to him. “Did that girl just...?”

Oliver nodded as his best friend trailed off, his mouth still hanging open a little. Narrowing his eyes, Oliver shut his mouth tightly, feeling his face heat up a bit as he looked around the hallway, only to see that a lot of his classmates were staring at him.

“What the hell are you looking at?” Tommy snapped beside him, getting into his protective best friend mode. “There's nothing to see here!”

The other kids scattered immediately and Oliver clenched his hands together into a fist.

He had _wanted_ that audience for a brief moment, and now he absolutely _hated_ the fact that they had seen what had gone down.

“Come on, man,” Tommy said, pulling on his arm. “We need to get to class.”

Oliver forced himself out of the shock that was still coursing through him before nodding yet again, walking in the same direction that the blonde had gone off in.

* * *

The girl's name was apparently Felicity Smoak.

She had transferred from a school in Las Vegas when her mother and she had moved to Starling City and the girl was said to be a genius, which was why she had been jumped up two years.

“Why can't we just let it go, Ollie?” Tommy groaned as they ate lunch together. Oliver handed ten bucks to one of the younger kids who had brought him back the information he had wanted.

“Because, Tommy. She embarrassed me in front of the whole school after I saved her life,” Oliver almost growled, shooting a glare at the blonde who was sitting alone on the other side of the cafeteria, engrossed in a book while eating an apple.

“A: the whole school wasn't in that hallway, dude, B: You made some mean girls step down from bullying her, and C: She just told you that she didn't need a knight in charming armor because she could take care of herself.”

“After she pushed me away from her,” Oliver accused. “I just put my hand on her shoulder to check if she was okay and she totally pushed me away from her and got all mad at _me_ for some reason.”

“So what? The girl is immune to your knightly charm... What are you planning to do exactly?” Tommy frowned.

“I just want to know what makes her tick,” Oliver said. “I mean, why would she act like that?”

“Maybe because she really didn't need you to 'save' her?” Tommy raised an eyebrow. “Not everyone needs someone to protect them, you know.”

“I just want to get to know her,” Oliver mumbled.

“And I think that you should just let this one go,” Tommy told him. “The girl can clearly stand up for herself.” Tommy watched Oliver's face for a moment before groaning, “You're not letting this go, are you?”

“I just want to get to know her,” Oliver repeated, taking a bite out of his own apple as he watched the blonde girl stand up from her table, dispose of her leftovers and finally step out of the school cafeteria.

* * *

He began doing something he never would have thought he would never have to do: _stalking_.

Or actually, it was more like “accidentally” walking into her every time he walked into her in the hallway, trying to strike up a conversation in class over an eraser or just generally trying to get her to talk to him.

Felicity was stubborn though and he asked him several times to just leave her alone and not bother her anymore. He only backed down when he got her into trouble with the teacher when he was insistently trying to get her to speak to him during class.

Tommy had tried telling him time and time and again to just leave the girl alone but there was just something about her that had gotten under Oliver's skin and he just couldn't let go of it. He was determined, to say the least, and he wouldn't give up until the mysterious Ms. Smoak told him just what it was that had prompted her to be so rude to him.

* * *

Of all the times he though out various scenarios where he would finally get her to talk to him, he hadn't once thought about the possibility of seeing her all alone on a bench after he got out of detention.

Sure, he may or may not have actually gotten into a fight with Max Fuller over the fact that he had said something _very_ inappropriate about Felicity, which the girl hadn't even heard when she had been walking to her locker. Oliver had tried telling himself that getting into that fist fight wasn't because of his tiny obsession (which he was starting to realize was more of a crush actually) with the petite blonde, but as soon as it was over and Mr. Adams had yelled that he had detention, the rumors started spreading around the school instantly. He was sure that Felicity had heard it by now; how he had defended her honor like some overprotective boyfriend, because according to Tommy, that was the story everyone was going with.

And now, the girl was sitting on the bench right outside of the detention room, reading a book. He approached her slowly, not sure whether or not he should, but she didn't look up even once. However, he did see that she began tapping her book lightly with her finger, indicating that she was getting annoyed (He had learned some of her tells while he had been _admiring_ her from afar– _Not stalking!_ ) so he finally gathered his courage and walked up to her, sitting down next to her. Her tapping instantly stopped, but she didn't say anything; just kept staring down at her book.

“What's wrong?” he asked her, once again not sure if he should or if he was even allowed to be concerned after the stunt he pulled today, inadvertently making her a part of the High School gossip.

“I'm tired of people always thinking that I'm defenseless just because I'm a little younger than the others,” she told him. He was surprised that she was even talking to him, so he didn't know whether he should stay quiet or not. When she continued speaking, he figured that he had made the right call to just not speak. “That first time you intervened, I had been about to tell that girl off. It just annoyed me so much that I couldn't help but snap at you for trying to play a hero. People always judge me because of my age and think that I need them to watch my back, but I don't,” she told him, finally lowering her book, but she didn't look at him. She sounded a little bitter but also sad about it.

He cleared his throat, “You shouldn't be so judgmental either though. Me stepping in that day had nothing to do with saving you. I just wanted to do the right thing.”

That was a truth he hadn't dared to admit to anyone. At first, he had thought that he just wanted the attention, but the more he thought about that day when he had told the bullying girl off, he realized that it hadn't been all about that. It had been about what he had just admitted to Felicity: doing the right thing.

Felicity's head snapped to the side and she stared at him. “You're calling me judgmental?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow. She was such a puzzle that he didn't even know whether he had offended her or not, so he shrugged instead.

“Yeah,” he drawled. “You judged me before getting to know me. You thought I was just some jackass trying to show off, just like everyone else thinks.”

She didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at him and he found it difficult to look away. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, with strands sticking out in various places and she looked tired, wearing a hoodie that was clearly too big for her and a pair of ripped up jeans. She didn't wear much make-up, he realized as his eyes moved over her face. The only thing that stood out was the hot pink lipstick. His eyes settled on her lips and his tongue darted out subconsciously, wetting his own.

“I'm sorry,” she suddenly said, looking away from him. He could see the small hint of a blush appearing on her face and he figured that she must have seen where his attention had landed. “I didn't mean to judge you.”

“It's okay,” Oliver said, turning a little so that he could see her more properly. There was still a good foot or so between them, but his palms were starting to sweat and his heart was beating just a tad faster than before. He didn't understand when this girl who had been ignoring him in his advances so far had begun getting this kind of reaction out of him.

Just when he thought his luck had run out and that she wouldn't try talking to him again, Felicity proved him wrong by asking, “Why aren't you going home?”

He eyed her and shrugged. “Why aren't you?” he countered.

“My mom's new boyfriend, a.k.a. 'the love of her life' broke up with her and now she's drowning her sorrows away in chocolate ice-cream,” Felicity deadpanned, surprising him with her honesty. It seemed to be such a personal thing to share and Oliver honestly would never know what got over him when he started speaking again.

“My dad keeps pressuring me about college,” he told her. “It's easier to just stay in school for a bit longer.”

“Is that why you got yourself detention?” she asked, tilting her head a little as she looked at him curiously. He felt like his answer now might define the outcome of their conversation. If he replied in a good way, he might have a chance at at least being her friend, but if he answered wrong...

“Not today it wasn't,” he admitted silently, waiting on her reaction.

The corner of her mouth tugged up a bit and he was certain that his heart was about to jump out of his chest. “And all the other times? When you aren't defending _my_ honor?” she quipped, amusement clear in her tone this time.

“Yeah,” he replied honestly.

“You are aware of the fact that you can just go to the library after hours, or just hang out here in the hallways?” she asked him. “They won't kick you out for staying after classes are over. I do it all the time.”

She sounded genuine and he could see that she was just by the sparkle in her eyes. The best thing about it though, was that she hadn't pushed him away yet or told him to stay away from her, even after she had made it clear that she knew just why he had gotten detention today.

“Uh...” he trailed off. “Would you mind if I stayed here? With you?” he asked, feeling his own cheeks heat up a little, suddenly feeling a bit insecure, all because of the blonde that was sitting next to him, still watching him with those mesmerizing eyes of hers. “At least for a little while?” he added, hoping that he wasn't asking too much from her. Also, he wouldn't want to push her too far or something.

“No,” she finally said, her eyes twinkling again, with kindness and something else. “I don't mind if you stay here with me... At least for a little while.”

Oliver couldn't help the grin that spread across his face and even though the two of them didn't speak for another minute, they quickly fell into an easy conversation about everything and nothing afterward.

* * *

Three months later, Tommy offered to buy them ice-cream when he revealed that there had been an ongoing bet about how long it would take for the two of them to get together. Tommy had won, naturally, claiming that he knew his best friend the best and Felicity too, who he had become good friends with as well.

Oliver and Felicity accepted the ice-cream, but quickly began plotting a revenge plan to get back at Tommy for tricking the younger kids into something that had always been a safe bet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you reading, please leave a comment to let me know what you thought! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are golden! ;)


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